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Long before Hollywood studios sold "independent" films to the masses and digital video filled the screen with directionless angst, independent cinema had a purpose and a master -- John Cassavetes. Although Cassavetes' directorial debut Shadows captures the actor-turned-director at his most unrefined, it's also his most ambitious. Like the Charles Mingus soundtrack that pulsates throughout the film, Shadows is a cinematic improvisation (as the end credits mention) of amateur vitality.

New York City is typically the stuff of romantic ruminations, but Shadows' NYC is a clash of interests and ethical moralities -- a place where unmotivated musician Ben (Ben Carruthers) and his artistry-driven, professional singer brother Hugh (Hugh Hurd) can co-exist. The film foremost deals with race in relationships -- personal, professional, and fleeting -- following the two brothers and their sister Leila (Leila Goldoni). Hopes are dashed as Hugh's nightclub performance is cut short by a white owner and an untalented chorus line, Ben's free-wheelin' life becomes as empty as his brother implies when he's beaten up for hitting on some other cat's chicks, and Leila's first love turns out to be a racist, pseudo-intellectual.

Jill Clayburgh delivers her seminal performance in this well-regarded film about the female response to a husband who leaves her (er, so she's a married woman, but that's beside the point). And while Clayburgh soars, the rest of the film is hopelessly dated with its late '70s pop psychology, nutty hairdos, and creepy free love sentiment. And frankly, it's a little bit boring.